Florida is scheduled to carry out its first execution of 2026 on Tuesday evening, when 64-year-old Ronald Palmer Heath is set to receive a lethal injection. The procedure is planned for 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke, where the state’s death chamber is located. Heath was convicted and sentenced to death in 1990 for a killing that occurred in the Gainesville area in 1989.
Time and place confirmed by national reporting
According to The Associated Press, Heath is scheduled to receive a three-drug lethal injection at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Florida State Prison. The execution follows a death warrant signed in January and comes after a record 19 executions were carried out in Florida in 2025.
Court rebuffs last-minute challenges
In a per curiam order, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s summary denial of Heath’s postconviction motion and habeas petition, rejecting his latest legal challenges. According to the court, Heath had contested the state’s execution procedures and the confidentiality of clemency processes. The justices determined that his filings did not demonstrate a substantial and imminent risk that would warrant a stay of execution.
The crime and the conviction
Court records indicate that Heath and his brother, Kenneth Heath, met traveling salesman Michael Sheridan at a Gainesville bar in May 1989, then took him to a remote location where Sheridan was shot and fatally assaulted. At trial, prosecutors relied on Kenneth Heath’s testimony and evidence linked to Sheridan. Kenneth Heath later received a life sentence under a plea agreement, while Ronald Heath was convicted of first-degree murder in 1990.
Where executions take place
Florida State Prison in Raiford, near Starke, houses the state’s execution chamber. The facility is located in Bradford County, and the Florida Department of Corrections identifies it as the site responsible for carrying out death-penalty procedures and related operations.
Allegations about how executions were handled
In recent filings, Heath and related litigation cited documents alleging irregularities in Florida’s 2025 lethal-injection process, including late inventory entries, dosing questions, the presence of an unauthorized drug in some records, and indications that expired drugs were used. The Florida Supreme Court summarized these claims but concluded they did not demonstrate the virtual certainty of severe pain needed to halt an execution. The court detailed the specific concerns raised in Heath’s motion; the full discussion is available in the Florida Supreme Court opinio
What comes next
Heath’s legal team has pursued both state and federal challenges, with some filings still pending. Courts could intervene if a stay of execution is granted, and any last-minute rulings are expected to receive attention from local and national media. Currently, Florida’s execution schedule remains in effect, with additional executions planned in the coming weeks.
